Friends of Murphys Point Park

This week’s #SpeciesOfTheWeek is the Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis). Most brightly-coloured birds have migrated south by this time of year, but the Cardinal stays here year-round and the male’s bright red plumage dramatically stands out in a winter forest. The female’s plumage is slightly drabber, but she still sports brilliant red highlights on her wings and crest and a bright red beak. Their loud whistling calls are a common sound on spring and summer mornings. Females will also sing while sitting on the nest, which is rare in North American songbirds. Cardinals are one species that has benefited from human expansion, as they use forest edge habitats that can be found at the edge of farmlands and suburban areas. Since they are seed-eaters, cardinals are common visitors to bird feeders and seem to have a preference for black oil sunflower seeds. Cardinals are very territorial and attack any perceived intruders – including their own reflections. During the breeding season, when hormone levels are high, both males and females may spend hours attacking their own reflection in windows, car mirrors, and other reflective surfaces. Treating windows to make them less reflective is one way you can help protect cardinals and other birds.

Our featured #SpeciesOfTheWeek is the Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens), which is in the same family (Percidae) as the Walleye and Sauger. It is a wide-ranging species that is found throughout the northern hemisphere. In Ontario, they are commonly found in cool waters with a medium amount of vegetation, preferring clear waters and waterbodies with bottoms consisting of sand, mud or gravel. Yellow Perch spawn in the spring and mature towards the winter and are known to live for as long as 10 years. Yellow Perch can grow up to a maximum weight of 1.5 kg.  This Yellow Perch was caught in our very own Loon Lake.

This week’s #SpeciesOfTheWeek is a secretive mammal, the northern short-tailed shrew (Blarina brevicauda). With a diminutive size of just 10 to 14 cm, it’s already easy to miss, and its habit of tunnelling underground or through the leaf litter makes spotting one a rare occurrence. Despite the small size, the northern short-tailed shrew is actually the largest shrew in North America. The short-tailed shrew can be differentiated from long-tailed shrews (Sorex spp.) by the fact that its tail makes up less than 25% of its body length. The short-tailed shrew is particularly unique, as it is the only venomous mammal in North America. The shrew’s saliva contains a neurotoxin that kills or paralyzes its prey, allowing it to take down large prey like earthworms, voles, snails, mice and salamanders. Shrews have a high metabolic rate and need to eat up to three times their body weight every day, so they will cache food for later consumption. These tiny terrors can be found in a range of habitats with leaf litter or thick plant cover. Keep an eye on the ground when hiking through the park, and you might catch a glimpse of this cool mammal!